australiantourer wrote: Both make a very subtle ratchet sort of noise when peddling, and I'm sure it's not a setup issue. Some hubs are positively and deliberately noisy, it seems.

If you are talking about a regular chain drive bike with derailleur gears, then unless there's something wrong with your freehub, it won't make any noise when you are pedalling. Coasting, that's a different story.

If you are getting noise from the drivetrain it is somewhere in the chain, cassette, derailleurs, jockey wheels etc. Even the bike frame can amplify the sound. It can also take a little time after new for the chain and cassette to bed down.

As for the technology having got worse, I was watching A Sunday in Hell the other day with 30 year old footage and there was so much chain noise that I thought they must have dubbed the pedalling sections with coasting noise.

On the noise issue, my 105 seems quiet enough, no clicking, having said that i guess it could be quieter. I have never ridden an old bike as mentioned by the op, but I do like silence. maybe i need to try some dura ace out

on a side note ...

Stuey wrote:I think most of you have the wrong end of the stick...the OP was referring to noise while pedalling, not freewheeling.

well in defense of everyone and me ... check the title of the thread and he does mention hubs specifically in the post

eeksll wrote:On the noise issue, my 105 seems quiet enough, no clicking, having said that i guess it could be quieter. I have never ridden an old bike as mentioned by the op, but I do like silence. maybe i need to try some dura ace out

on a side note ...

Stuey wrote:I think most of you have the wrong end of the stick...the OP was referring to noise while pedalling, not freewheeling.

well in defense of everyone and me ... check the title of the thread and he does mention hubs specifically in the post

Quite right -- I must plead guilty as charged to possibly misleading readers! Mainly because I didn't really know what components to check or blame, but I thank you all for your input. I am learning a good deal about all this.

I have 105 group set on a Schwinn road bike that I bought second hand -- aluminium frame and carbon forks. It makes more noise than the Mongoose too, but not from the drive train -- it's more like road noise slightly amplified through the large diameter aluminium tubing -- maybe! Or at least that's what the lbs suggested when I mentioned it. I went for a spin on the old mongoose last night just to check that I wasn't imagining all this (ie that there is actually a noticeable difference), and I have to say it was whisper quiet, despite 15 years of not exactly neglect, but of not fussing or tweaking or really thinking about it's components.

australiantourer wrote:I have 105 group set on a Schwinn road bike that I bought second hand -- aluminium frame and carbon forks. It makes more noise than the Mongoose too, but not from the drive train -- it's more like road noise slightly amplified through the large diameter aluminium tubing -- maybe! Or at least that's what the lbs suggested when I mentioned it. I went for a spin on the old mongoose last night just to check that I wasn't imagining all this (ie that there is actually a noticeable difference), and I have to say it was whisper quiet, despite 15 years of not exactly neglect, but of not fussing or tweaking or really thinking about it's components.

If the noise amplified by the frame is such a huge problem, and seeing it's more than likely the large down tube amplifying the noise..........and you don't mind a little extra weight........you could always drill a couple of holes the appropriate distance apart in the bottom of the down tube, and fill it with expanding foam.

Ross wrote:I notice a similar thing on my Ultegra 6700 equipped bike compared to my other bike with the older Dura Ace 7800. In fact the whole groupset (6700) is so sub-standard to the DA in shifting and general performance that I'm going back to DA 7800.

That's interesting, Ross. You sound about as disappointed as me! How old, roughly, is the Dura Ace, and where does it sit in the price comparison with the Ultegra?

Dura Ace 7800 was the first generation top of the range Shimano 10 speed, not sure when it came out, been around for a while now, 5 or 6 years maybe. I don't think it is available new from shops any more (maybe NOS). Hard to say hiow old the actual DA 7800 group on my bike is, I bought a second hand bike complete in 2010 I think and then swapped the bits to another frame after about a year. It's my race bike so I only do about 50-60km a week usually on it so it hasn't done that much work (original second hand bike I bought was in VGC so didn't look to have many kms on the group).

The Ultegra is on my training bike that I ride 5-6 days a week. It is younger, maybe a bit over a year old but would of done more kms, but I am really fussy and have an even fussier mechanic and it gets serviced at least once a month, with components like chains and gear cables replaced as required (with quality Shimano parts, not cheaper substitues).

I'm not sure of the pricing, they would be similar, Ultegra probably a bit cheaper.